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MEMBER DIARY

So, When Will The ABC, NBC, and CBS Report on Obamacare?

As the Big Three –NBC, ABC, and CBS – continue to engage in, to borrow a George Will term, journalistic malpractice over Obamacare’s adverse effects on the economy, they probably missed the development concerning some Democrats, who’ve started to chip away at portions of the bill. Some labor unions are calling for full repeal, and Democratic senators are trying to excise the medical devices tax within the legislation. If these two developments aren’t enough to for these networks to cover this story, what will?

Yesterday, On Meet the Press’ “Press Pass,” Former Obama advisor Zeke Emanuel (Rahm’s brother) said that Obamacare’s uncertainty is driving up premium costs. “No one, not the hospitals, insurers, or the federal government, know how many people are going to come in. Are they going to be a broad representation of the uninsured or will only the sick come in? That is a big fear of the insurance companies. That why you’re seeing an increase in the rates. They’re worried, we’ll only get the sick, we’re going to pay a lot of money, so we’re increasing the rates because of uncertainty.”

Really not good.

Democrats responsible for the Affordable Care Act – including Mary Landrieu, Mark Pryor, Bruce Braley, Kay Hagan, Mark Begich, Mark Udall, Gary Peters, Mark Warner, Al Franken, Jeanne Shaheen, and Max Baucus – promised that Obamacare would “cut the cost of a typical family’s premium by up to $2,500 a year.” However, since the ACA was passed, average Americans have seen the cost of health care increase by $3,000, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Concerning the medical devices tax, Sen. Amy Klobuchour (D-Minnesota) is ramping up her efforts to repeal the tax on medical devices that’s included in the health care reform bill. Talking Points Memo reported today that it’s building upon the vote last month, where the majority of Senate Democrats voted with the GOP to repeal the tax.

Adding to the Democratic discontent, Sen. Max Baucus, at a Senate Finance Committee hearing last week, warned of the “train wreck” concerning the full implementation of Obamacare by 2014. He cited the mass anxiety and confusion amongst small business owners over the regulatory juggernaut that’s about to hit them. When questioning Kathleen Sibelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sen. Baucus demanded more than just concepts. He wanted data.

The big government nightmare of Obamacare is slowly coming to light, but the news media seems content with keeping the American taxpayer in the dark.